The present invention relates to a fluid dispenser including a receptacle defining a fluid reservoir and an opening. A dispensing member such as a pump or a valve is fitted in the opening of the receptacle, and is provided with an actuating rod. A pusher is fitted onto the actuating rod of the dispensing member so that, by pressing on the pusher, the dispensing member is actuated and a metered quantity or xe2x80x9cdosexe2x80x9d of fluid is dispensed. This is an entirely conventional design for a dispensing member such as a pump or a valve used, for example, in the fields of perfumes, cosmetics, or indeed pharmaceuticals.
In certain cases, the assembly made up of the receptacle, of the dispensing member, and of the pusher is received in a trim shell which may be in the form of a sheath whose appearance is pleasing. The assembly thus defined constitutes a sort of replaceable refill while the trim shell of pleasing appearance is kept to receive the new assemblies. That type of dispenser is used in particular in the fields of perfumes or of cosmetics, in which the appearance of the dispenser is of major importance. The trim shell can then have complex shapes and use precious or costly materials so that the cost of the trim shell represents a considerable proportion of the overall cost of the dispenser. It is then advantageous to be able to keep the trim shell and to replace only the assembly made up of the receptacle, of the dispensing member, and of the pusher. Since the dispensing member and the pusher are fully masked by the trim shell, they do not need to be of particularly pleasing appearance. Their cost can thus be considerably reduced.
A drawback with that type of dispenser clad with trim is that the assembly constituted by the receptacle, by the dispensing member, and by the pusher can be used without the trim shell. As a result, it is possible to purchase an assembly as thus defined without purchasing the costly trim shell. That is detrimental not only economically but also in terms of brand image which is very important for perfume manufacturers.
Document FR-1 005 768 describes a dispenser having a trim shell which is constituted by a sheath and by a cap, and which receives a refill in the form of an non-disassemblable assembly constituted by a receptacle, by a dispensing member, and by a dispensing head or pusher. That assembly is protected inside a tamper-proof jacket. The bottom of that jacket is provided with an opening for passing a stud formed at the bottom of the trim shell. In that way, once the jacket has been inserted into the trim shell, by pressing on the pusher, the stud can be caused to pass through the opening in order to move the reservoir towards the pusher, thereby causing fluid to be dispensed.
It is clear from the above-mentioned document that the pusher is secured to, integral with, or held captive by the assembly that is also constituted by the receptacle and by the dispensing member. In other words, the pusher is an integral part of the refill.
An object of the present invention is to remedy that drawback of the prior art by defining a fluid dispenser whose refill (assembly) cannot be used without the trim shell.
To achieve this object, the present invention makes provision for the dispenser to be provided with a trim shell in which an assembly made up of the receptacle and of its dispensing member is adapted to be held in removable manner, and for the pusher to be held captive by the trim shell so that said actuating rod can be connected to the pusher only when inside the trim shell. Thus, the assembly or refill does not incorporate the pusher, unlike the prior art refills. Since the pusher is an element that is essential for operating the dispenser, it is not possible to use the refill or assembly without the pusher. Therefore, by making the pusher secured to or integral with the trim shell, the user is forced to associate the refill with the trim shell in order to obtain a dispenser that is usable.
According to a practical feature of the invention, the trim shell defines, at a xe2x80x9ctopxe2x80x9d end, a passageway in which the pusher is held captive while being able to move axially. The pusher is thus guided axially and in translation so as to define a limited stroke at the two ends. The pusher can thus move only far enough to actuate the dispensing member without being disengaged from the trim shell.
In another feature of the invention, the trim shell defines a xe2x80x9cbottomxe2x80x9d end which is open and through which the assembly can be inserted into the shell, a separate removable bottom advantageously closing off said open end. Advantageously, the shell comprises a drum surrounding the receptacle and a band fitted to the drum and co-operating with the drum to define a space in which the pusher is free to move axially while remaining captive. Preferably, the band is connected permanently to the drum, so that the pusher cannot be extracted from the trim shell.
In another feature of the invention that can be implemented independently of the above-mentioned feature related to the pusher being captive, the dispensing member includes a body that is open at its top end, the actuating rod being situated at said open end without projecting from the body when in the rest position. Advantageously, the pusher is provided with a connection sleeve suitable for being fitted to the actuating rod by penetrating into the body of the dispensing member. Thus, it is almost impossible to fit a pusher other than the pusher of the dispenser to the actuating rod of the dispensing member. In a conventional dispenser, the actuating rod of the dispensing member projects a long way beyond the open end of the body. The pusher then has a short connection sleeve which cannot under any circumstances penetrate into the body of the dispensing member. By limiting the height of the actuating rod inside the body of the dispensing member, it is possible to prevent any conventional pusher of the prior art from being fitted. In addition, the fact that the actuating rod does not extend beyond the body of the dispensing member constitutes a safety element by making it very difficult to push in the actuating rod since it is protected by the body of the dispensing member. Untimely actuating of the dispensing member is thus totally avoided.